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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Kuwait briefly shut down its main airport after Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal, killing an Indian national and wounding dozens. It's the latest in back and forth attacks by Iran and the US that test a fragile ceasefire. Iranian news agencies say Iran has stopped communicating with mediators about extending the ceasefire with the US And Israel. President Trump insists negotiations are ongoing. The conflict has strained relations and affected global fuel prices, impacting regions far beyond the Middle East. President Trump has issued an executive order turning some 8,000 federal employees into at will employees, citing the need for greater accountability. His critics say it's an unlawful attempt to politicize the civil service. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports.
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Civil servants have long enjoyed job protections much stronger than what workers in the private sector have. Michael Martinez says that's by design. He's a former government attorney who's now part of the legal team at Democracy Forward, which is suing the Trump administration to block the reclassification.
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It's a mission driven work here in government that's really for the American people so that when they hear labor statistics or weather patterns, they can actually trust their government.
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The Trump administration says those job protections have hampered government efficiency. The administration argues that like a CEO in the private sector, the president must be able to remove those in policy making roles who don't support his mission. Andrea Hsu and PR News.
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The Senate is set to start voting on legislation to fund immigration enforcement agencies. Voting could get underway tonight after the White House was forced to drop its settlement fund for Trump's political allies and money for White House ballroom security. The roughly $70 billion bill would fund ICE and Border Patrol votes are still being processed in the six states that held primary elections yesterday. Some key races in California remain too close to call. But Democrats and Republicans in Iowa and several other states picked their nominees in key contests. NPR's Sage Miller gives us an update.
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California voters are waiting to find out which two candidates for govern will move on to the general election. Right now, Republican Steve Hilton narrowly leads Democrat Javier Becerra in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Incumbent Karen Bass is heading to the general election. The question is who will join her? Former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt or City Councilor Nithya Raman? I will. Republican voters chose Zach Lane as their nominee for governor. He beat out a Trump backed candidate that the race for Iowa governor is one Democrats hope to flip in November. And in the Iowa U.S. senate race, Democrats selected Josh Turek to advance. That is a seat Democrats need to win if they want to take control of the chamber. Sage Miller, NPR News.
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Oil prices rose roughly 2% today following the latest threats to the U s. Iran ceasefire. This is NPR News. A new Gallup poll finds support for same sex marriage and relationships in the US has stopped rising after two decades. About two thirds of US Adults believe same sex marriage should be legal, according to the poll, down slightly from 71% in 2022. Most of the change is driven by Republicans. Game one of the NBA Finals tips off tonight. The New York Knicks are playing for a title for the first time since 1999. They'll face the San Antonio Spurs. As NPR's Becky Sullivan reports, the Finals
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are actually a rematch of that 1999 series between the Knicks and the Spurs. That was the first appearance in the Finals for the Tim Duncan era Spurs, who won that one in five and went on to pick up four, four more titles in the years that followed. The Knicks haven't had a drop of that success, but now with stars Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns, they have stormed their way back to the Finals with a sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The series will open in San Antonio, where the NBA's newest superstar, Victor Wimanyama, just led the spurs to a seven game thriller over the defending NBA champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder. At 7 foot 4, Wimy's presence on the floor has been a challenge for every offense they faced this postseason. And since he's only 22, that challenge could last for years to come. Becky Sullivan, NPR News.
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NASA's Mars MAVEN spacecraft has been declared dead after six months of radio silence. MAVEN was launched in 2013 to study the Red Planet's atmosphere. It fell silent in December after passing behind Mars. Data indicated that the spacecraft went into a fast spin, which disrupted its orbit and drained its onboard batteries. Maven helped relay information from NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the surface. This is NPR News from Washington.
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